Toy game apparatus



. I 2 SheetsSheefi 1. E. B. SMITH. TOY GAME APPARATUS.

, (No Model.)

Patented 001;. 17, 1893. I I

UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

, ERNEST B. SMITH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.-

TOY GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,800, dated October17, 1893.

Application filed June 20, I892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Springfield, Hampden county, .State of Massachusetts, haveinvented a new and useful Toy Game Apparatus, of which the followingis aspecification.

My improvements relate to agame in which nearly all of the features ofbase ball are resection in side elevation of the device, and on thedotted line ac, 0c, of Fig. I. Fig. IV, is an elevation in crosssection, and on the dotted line y, y, of Fig. I. Fig. V, is asideelevation on the dotted line a, z, of Fig. I, and Fig. VI, is a detailview of a part.

Referring to the drawings, B is a board adapted to be supported upon atable or other rest with its face inclined, so thata ball, unobstructed,will roll from one end to the other; and b is a side or rim inclosingthe face of the board, so as to retain a ball upon the face.

c, c, are holes sunk in the face of the board to catch and retain a ballrolling over the face of the board; and d, d are pins or wiresprojecting vertically from the face of the board and serving the purposeof causing the course of a rolling ball to be erratic. These generalfeatures of a game are well known, and in common use; but with these Icombine elements which resemble closelyin their action the pitching andbatting in the real game of base ball, and it is to'their constructionand operation that my invention owes its principal interest.

D is a post journaled vertically in the board B to rise above its faceand also extend Serial No. 437,331. (No model.)

a short distance below the bottom of the board as seen in Figs. III, andV.

To a horizontal arm 6 from the post D is a cup g, arranged in aninclined position, and adapted to hold a ball, such as a marble.

Upon the lower end of the post and below the bottom of the board, is aradial projecting arm 71 shown in the drawings in the form of a ring forconvenience in securing thereto both a rod and spring, and to which isat tached one end of a rod E, so that when the rod is pulled the postwill be rotated; and from the arm h to a fixed support, as the screw 2',is a coil spring I, against which the post rotates when pulled by rod E.The arm h is prolonged through the end of post D, as seen in Fig. II. tocome againsta stop m, which is made adjustable as, shown by means of aclamp screw 11 passing through a slot in the shank of the stop, and intothe bottom of the board, to permit the stop to be arranged to limit toany degree the rotation of the post when released by rod E. The rod E,from the post D, is prolonged parallel with the bottom of the board andguided and supported by a cleat 0, and is provided withv a handle 0. inconvenient reach of the fingers at the lower end of the board. When thespring I, holds thearm h against the stop m, the arm e from ,the post Dextends transversely above the board, and the cup 9 is above the medialcenter of the board.

In operation a marble or other ball is placed in the cup when in theposition seen in Fig. I, and the rod E pulled out as shown in Fig. III,to have its handle 0 suddenly released, by means of which the arrest ofrotation of the post caused by the stop, projects the loose ball fromthe cup, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. III.

Although the stop may be formed by the handle 0, coming in contact withthe lower end of the board, I prefer the adjustable one shown, applieddirectly to the post.

When the ball is thrown by post D, it flies as from the hands of apitcher toward the batter, represented by a postH of similar generalconfiguration to the one D, and like it is journaled to one side of themedial center of the board to have one end projects. short dis- ICOtance below the bottom, and is provided upon said lower projecting endwith a spring G from its surface to a fixed support It for it to rotateagainst, and with a projecting pin Z and stop pin 19, for arresting therotation.

Above the board the post H is provided with a radial arm F flattened andenlarged to form a bat proportioned to the size of the ball or marble.

Beneath the bat F and in the same central line of the board with the cupg. is a trigger J. in the form of a board of a greater width, preferablythan the ball, hinged at its lower end to the surface of the board 13.provided with a spring j between its free end and the board, and havingits free end arranged to come beneath the bat F, and being slightlydepressed, hold the bat by a spur or projection 8 upon the lower edge ofthe bat, against which said free end catches,as shownin Figs. I and 1V.When the bat F is set, as seen in Fig. IV, and a pitch from the cup g.lands the ball, as shown in dotted lines Fig. III, the trigger J isdepressed by the contact of the ball, to set the bat free, which by thepower of the spring, strikes the ball a blow to throw it, as indicatedin Fig. V, upon the board, where it finds its way to one or the other ofthe pockets formed by holes a.

I have holes to represent all of the counting points of the game withthe names of the contingencies and possibilities written over the holesstanding for them, as for instance, the holes or pockets 0. 0. intowhich the ball may be directly thrown, or into which they may rolldeflected by the pins (1 d, represent the outs, fouls, different baseruns and home run and different base hits -having avalue each in pointsset forth in directions for playing the game,or determined by theplayers, and upon each lower corner of the board B, I arrange upon flatsurfaces, dials S. S with hands If. t for scoring the points and games.

Centrally beneath board B and at the upper end is a support A. in theform of a tripod or other convenient foot, connected to the board bymeans of a piece a journaled in the head of the support A so as torotate freely therein, and the piece a is hinged to the bottom of theboard, so that the board can be swung on the support vertically. Thepiece (1 thus joined to the support and board, forms a swivel joint,which enables the lower end of the board to be lifted from the table orother rest, and swung to any point without movingthe support A, andthereby enables players seated around a table, to keep their seats, bychanging the position of the board to come opposite each. Feet r raisethe lower end of the board B sufficiently above the table to enable thehandle 0 to clear it in its movement.

Without the feature of the game represented by the bat F, the post Dthrowing a ball elastic, or non-elastic to rebound, or otherwise findits way from the upper end of the board to one of the holes 0therein-would make a new gameas would also, a ball proj ected in anyother way than that illustrated in the post D, to come against the pieceJ to operate the post H with its bat F.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinationsubstantially as shown and described of the inclosed board provided withpockets and obstructions,and with means for projectinga ball to one endof the board; of a spring actuated rotating post journaled near one endof the board, with a stop for arresting its rotation, provided with aradial arm above the face of the board adapted to form a ball strikingbatand an inclined hinged trigger adapted to retain the bat in positionagainst its actuating spring, and release it upon the impact upon itsinclined face of a projected ball, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a game board of the character described, andwith a spring actuated ball pitching device'formin g part of saidgame-boardof the automatic batting device, comprising aspring actuatedrotating post H, journaled in the board, a radial arm therefrom abovethe board adapted to form a striker for a ball-and an'inclined hingedtrigger pieceas J, bearing from the board to the bat and adapted to holdthe bat and its post 11 against the compressed spring, and release themupon the impact of a projected ball upon the inclined face of thetrigger, whereby the ball itself actuates the bat and receives apositive blow therefrom, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with an inclined game board, of a support for theraised end,having both a horizontally and vertically rotating hingecombined therewith, substantially as shown and described, wherebythe-board may have its lowerend lifted and rotated horizontally withoutchanging theposition of the support for the upper end.

ERNEST B. SMITH.

Witnesses:-

R. F. HYDE, L. HrPERKINS.

